Hey guys, I wanted to share something with you and possibly get some insight on what I could do about this.
The other week, my boyfriend's sister asked me if I wanted to take photos for her friend's wedding rehearsal dinner. Upon reading said request, I immediately freaked out. I thought about everything that could and would possibly go wrong, and how I would absolutely hate to mess something up like that.
I've never taken photos for an event (other than random family things and a club event here at my college) before, so I don't know how to get over the nerves/fear of screwing up.
Anyone have any tips? I'm a photography student, so this is bound to happen again. :P
Allyssa, I've loved your stuff since you found me all those months ago - I have faith in you and now you need to have faith in you too! Of course it's scary and exciting, I would imagine, but if anything, find comfort in the fact it's the rehearsal :)
Well, I have some advice. First think, what would I want pictures of? Second, look at what some other people have done. And lastly, just go in as if you are there to have a good time. The rehearsal is where most people make jokes, act goofy and just get out a lot of last minute jitters before the wedding, so look for the photos that will be 'fun'.
And if you are worried about 'posing', I/we rarely pose people for the rehearsal, just a quick photo of the bride/groom, bridesmaids and groomsman all casual.
And like I said, have fun. You'll laugh at some things, they will laugh at themselves and friends and just capture that moment.
you have to treat an event as you would any other shoot, just make sure you have an idea of some of the shots you and they would like you to take then treat each shot as a single image, because its when you start thinking of capturing the whole event that problems occur. one important thing is details, many people are so focussed on taking regular shots of the people involved that they forget about things like flower arrangements, table settings, location and sometimes they mean more than anything. Put yourself in their shoes if it was your big day what images would take you back to that day and take those images. If you take 300 shots even at a ratio of 1 out of every 5 being good thats still 60 photos to play with and I am sure the ratio would be nowhere near as bad as that. relax and above all enjoy it. after the first one you will find that it really isn't as bad as you fear :)
I haven't read the above comments, so I hope I'm not redundant. I really like doing events, they are fun and it's great to blend into the background to catch moments. (I'm not a pro, just a person with a nice camera that gets asked by family and friends to photograph stuff). :0)
I would find out what the couple wants from having your capture the rehearsal and dinner. Make a list and make sure you have a spare cards and batteries. I also use a long lens, at times, so people don't even see the camera or me. At the event, I would stand back and SHOOT SHOOT SHOOT everything you see and hear. You will be amazed at how quickly your nervousness goes away, because you will be too busy. Good luck! You will do a great job for them!
So everyone so far has offered great advice, all I have to add are two things: 1. I checked out a few of your shots on your album; you have a great eye... TRUST IT
2. If you want some quick reads on the subject of wedding/event photography Scott Kelby has several books and I can't recall the exact title but it is a series of 3 small, thin books. The first in the series talks a lot about event photography. I would suggest going to your local bookstore or library and sitting down and reading them. It won't take more than an hour or two to read the whole book and it will give you some good insight.
Now, the best to do is identify what those could be.
Flat batteries? Fully charge em, and if you can, get an extra or 2.
Lost/corrupted mempory cards? Same thing, stock up.
Cranky parents/bride/groom? Use charm and sneakiness to get a candid of these emotions that they will surely laugh about when they see your pictures.
Bad weather, hangover, equipment failure, flash left at home...the list could go on.
Start from these, and I'm sure when that dreaded day comes, you'll be equipped with the necessary tools to just power through the shoot. :D
If you have a DSLR camera (and I'm going to assume you do?) consider setting it to ISO- Auto. That way you don't have to worry so much about constantly changing the exposure in low indoor/night light. This also allows you to be capturing the spontaneous interactions and moments between people as they're happening rather than stuffing around with camera settings.
See if you can get to the venue early before anyone else is in there and take a shot of the venue when it's empty - one of the most effective (and one of my favourite) shots from my wedding is of the venue all set up with no people inside. Then, you can also stay after they leave to capture 'the aftermath' eg. half full glasses, cutlery all over the place etc.
Congrats on being offered 'the job' :) Hope it all goes well for you!
@allyssaallor When people ask me to do formals or family shoots I get a list of photos they want in advance to tick off, to get the sets of people together...
It'll be a great opportunity for candids, after everyone's gotten settled in and had a glass of wine they'll start to forget about you...
Spare batteries for the camera AND the flash, a spare pack of AA's is something I always seem to forget. The night/day before, chill out and get all your gear in order, clean lenses and put it all away in the bag ready to go, that way you can panic about whatever else you'll need.
Bring a little notebook and pen, there's maybe once in a blue moon I don't have to write something down at a shoot.
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And if you are worried about 'posing', I/we rarely pose people for the rehearsal, just a quick photo of the bride/groom, bridesmaids and groomsman all casual.
And like I said, have fun. You'll laugh at some things, they will laugh at themselves and friends and just capture that moment.
The actual wedding is another story.
I would find out what the couple wants from having your capture the rehearsal and dinner. Make a list and make sure you have a spare cards and batteries. I also use a long lens, at times, so people don't even see the camera or me. At the event, I would stand back and SHOOT SHOOT SHOOT everything you see and hear. You will be amazed at how quickly your nervousness goes away, because you will be too busy. Good luck! You will do a great job for them!
2. If you want some quick reads on the subject of wedding/event photography Scott Kelby has several books and I can't recall the exact title but it is a series of 3 small, thin books. The first in the series talks a lot about event photography. I would suggest going to your local bookstore or library and sitting down and reading them. It won't take more than an hour or two to read the whole book and it will give you some good insight.
Murphy's Law says:
What could go wrong WILL go wrong.
Now, the best to do is identify what those could be.
Flat batteries? Fully charge em, and if you can, get an extra or 2.
Lost/corrupted mempory cards? Same thing, stock up.
Cranky parents/bride/groom? Use charm and sneakiness to get a candid of these emotions that they will surely laugh about when they see your pictures.
Bad weather, hangover, equipment failure, flash left at home...the list could go on.
Start from these, and I'm sure when that dreaded day comes, you'll be equipped with the necessary tools to just power through the shoot. :D
If you have a DSLR camera (and I'm going to assume you do?) consider setting it to ISO- Auto. That way you don't have to worry so much about constantly changing the exposure in low indoor/night light. This also allows you to be capturing the spontaneous interactions and moments between people as they're happening rather than stuffing around with camera settings.
See if you can get to the venue early before anyone else is in there and take a shot of the venue when it's empty - one of the most effective (and one of my favourite) shots from my wedding is of the venue all set up with no people inside. Then, you can also stay after they leave to capture 'the aftermath' eg. half full glasses, cutlery all over the place etc.
Congrats on being offered 'the job' :) Hope it all goes well for you!
It'll be a great opportunity for candids, after everyone's gotten settled in and had a glass of wine they'll start to forget about you...
Spare batteries for the camera AND the flash, a spare pack of AA's is something I always seem to forget. The night/day before, chill out and get all your gear in order, clean lenses and put it all away in the bag ready to go, that way you can panic about whatever else you'll need.
Bring a little notebook and pen, there's maybe once in a blue moon I don't have to write something down at a shoot.